Oviedo moves toward permanent solar stop signs at Dovera Drive, Oviedo Mall

Double stop signs, orange barricades and bagged-up traffic lights have marked the intersection of Dovera Drive and Oviedo Mall Boulevard for more than a year, and resident pedestrian Katrina Mackrides says enforcement has been frequent. “Police are always here stopping people and giving tickets constantly because they don’t pay any attention to the stop signs,” Mackrides said, describing walks she takes near the Oviedo Mall with her husband.

City officials have advanced a $133,100 project that would permanently remove the existing traffic signals at that intersection, install highlighted, solar-powered stop signs, and eliminate two left-turn lanes. City council was expected to vote Monday on the project, which would replace the temporary double-stop configuration with permanent, solar-powered signage and reconfigure lanes approaching the mall.

The city put the temporary configuration in place after an inspection found the traffic signal post had corroded beyond repair, city statements said. Officials also relied on a traffic analysis that concluded the intersection is “lower flow” and therefore does not warrant a traffic signal, a characterization that figures explicitly in city materials supporting the conversion to stop signs.

Mackrides disputed that assessment, saying traffic near the mall is heavier than the city’s analysis implies. “I would say it’s not. It’s very busy, and it’s going to be busier if they continue building in this area,” she said, linking her concerns to ongoing development near the Oviedo Mall and surrounding corridors. Her observations on enforcement reflect a local pattern: temporary measures have remained in place while drivers adjust to the double stop signs and bagged lights.

The planned changes include removal of two left-turn lanes, a detail that would alter turning movements for drivers approaching the mall entrances and the Dovera Drive corridor. The proposal lists the cost as $133,100 but does not include, in city statements provided so far, a line-item breakdown of that figure or a construction schedule tied to the work.

As the council deliberates, the physical indicators at the intersection remain visible: orange barricades, two stop signs facing traffic from multiple approaches, and traffic signal housings covered in protective bags. If council approves the $133,100 project, the permanent installation of highlighted, solar-powered stop signs and the removal of the left-turn lanes will formalize the temporary arrangement that residents and police have been managing for over a year near the Oviedo Mall.